Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Indonesian tycoon buys Inter Milan

Indonesian Erick Thohir takes over at Inter Milan

Inter Milan fans will see a foreign owner at the San Siro for the first time in the club’s history.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Inter Milan purchased by Indonesian billionaire Erick Thohir

Thorir also owns stakes in the Philadelphia 69ers and soccer’s DC United

Inter become just the second Italian team to come under foreign ownership

A U.S. consortium purchased a controlling stake in Roma in 2011

(CNN) — One of European football’s grandest clubs has a new owner, with an Indonesian billionaire shaking up the established order in Italy’s Serie A.

Tycoon Erick Thohir is only the second foreign owner in the Italian first division after acquiring a 70% stake in three-time European champions Inter Milan.

He has added Inter to what is fast become a comprehensive sporting profile after becoming the first Asian to own a stake in an NBA team as part of a consortium which purchased the Philadelphia 76ers in 2011.

Sami Khedira gave Germany an early lead against the Republic of Ireland as they booked their passage to the 2014 World Cup finals.

Romelu Lukaku scored both Belgium’s goals in the 2-1 away win over Croatia which ensured their qualification for Brazil 2014.

Switzerland’s Michael Lang scored the crucial second goal in their 2-1 win in Albania to clinch qualification for football’s global showcase.

Ukraine’s Andriy Yarmolenko celebrates his crucial goal as they beat Poland 1-0 in Kharkiv to keep alive their hopes of qualification from Group H.

Wayne Rooney made the much needed breakthrough for England against Montenegro at Wembley as they remained top of Group H with a 4-1 victory.

Alexander Samedov was on target for Russia as they boosted their qualification hopes with a 4-0 victory against minnows Luxembourg.

Robin van Persie scored a hat-trick in an 8-1 thrashing of Hungary by his Dutch team who have topped Group D.

German joy

Lukaku double

Swiss through

Ukraine hope

Rooney strikes

Super Samedov

Dutch masters

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World Cup winners and losers

From Burundi to the big leagues

From Burundi to the big leagues

From Burundi to the big leagues

From Burundi to the big leagues

From Burundi to the big leagues

From Burundi to the big leagues

From Burundi to the big leagues

From Burundi to the big leagues

From Burundi to the big leagues

From Burundi to the big leagues

From Burundi to the big leagues

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From Burundi to the big leagues

Thohir is also one of three partners who own Washington’s Major League Soccer franchise DC United and has now followed in the footsteps of the American consortium, led by Thomas DiBenedetto, which broke new ground by purchasing Roma in 2011.

“Today is a truly special day in my life,” the 43-year-old Thohir said in a statement.

“I am an entrepreneur, but first of all I am a supporter and a sports lover. I cannot wait to put our passion and international experience at the service of this fantastic club and its supporters.”

Inter hope the ownership change will give the club “a global footprint.”

While a new phenomenon in Italy, foreign ownership is more prevalent in the rest of Europe.

The English Premier League has 11 foreign-owned clubs, including Americans in charge at Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool and Qatari money funding Manchester City’s continued growth.

Behold the “Zlatan burger”, a mountain of meat dedicated to Paris Saint-Germain’s star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The $41 monster is the brainchild of French cafe manager Jean-Philippe Grandin.

The mercurial striker arrived at the Parc des Princes in 2012. His career has seen him play for some of Europe’s biggest clubs, including Ajax, Inter Milan and Barcelona, winning eight league titles in four different countries.

PSG fanatic Grandin wanted a burger worthy of his team’s towering forward. It weighs over one kilogram, including a 600 gram burger, three different types of cheese and a custom-made bun.

Ibrahimovic’s first season in Paris ended in glory. The Swede scored 30 league goals as PSG stormed to the French First Division title.

As this picture shows “Le Zlatan” towers over other burgers on the menu at Doddy’s Cafe. “We have a lot of homemade burgers on the menu, I wanted to invent an extraordinary burger,” declared Grandin.

‘Le Zlatan’

‘Je suis Zlatan’

Mountain of meat

Burger of champions?

‘An extraordinary burger’

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The Zlatan Ibrahimovic burger

Prince William shows off his footballing skills during a training session on the grounds of Buckingham Palace.

Prince William is clearly enjoying himself as he wrestles to keep the ball during a training session at Buckingham Palace.

Prince William is a measure of concentration as he practices his skills in a training session with members of the Royal Household.

Prince William talks to the players ahead of the special match at Buckingham Palace to mark the 150th anniversary of the English FA.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Abdullah Al Ahmed Al Thani at Malaga is the only foreign owner in Spain’s top flight, while there is no overseas ownership in Germany’s Bundesliga.

However, there will still be an Italian influence in the corridors of power at Inter’s San Siro stadium with former president Massimo Moratti staying on as a member of the board.

“I think Inter’s history is going to be enriched by a new season thanks to our new international partners who, I am sure, will contribute to a continued string of successes,” said Moratti, who has seen the team win 23 trophies under his family’s stewardship.

“The new partners’ enthusiasm and pragmatism are certainly a guarantee for the future.”

The takeover reflects Asia’s growing influence in world football, particularly in Indonesia.

English clubs Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal all play matches in the country during preseason tours, while the Chinese Super League now boasts Italian World Cup winning coach Marcello Lippi, who is in place at Guangzhou Evergrande.